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Poems by Adults

Magic

by Adam D. Fisher, 2023

You say you want magic?

Well I’ll show you magic. 

All you need to do is stop,

pay attention, look carefully,

closely to sunflowers with their 

bright yellow petals and, looking

even closer (no magnifying glass

needed), see the tiny vein 

down the middle. 

When you pull out dandelions, 

notice their strong central root, 

the lovely yellow flower. 

How’s that for magic?

April 11th, 2023

Anonymous, 2023

I am just a child who wants to be held
I am just a child who wants to be held
I am just a child who wants to be held
But no one’s ever wanted to hold me
But no one’s ever wanted to hold me
But no one’s ever wanted to hold me
But no one’s ever wanted to hold me
But no one’s ever wanted to hold me

Untitled

by Alison Quinn, 2023

Never have the spider webs

sung to me this sweetly,

woven all the day and night

as cacophony surrounds them.

 

As if they perspire, toxic beads evaporate

and small silences are cleaned away,

then dry and quiet notes begin,

almost mistaken for a swish of breeze.

 

But the web spiders hear melodies,

tunes of their labors well woven,

strong when percussive beings pass,

laced beautiful in the feasting phrases.

 

Spider eggs are humming.

 

 

 

Visions of September 11

by Irene Cantor, 2023

Cloudless blue sky, day alive and bright .

Savagely altered into gray night.

A President calmly teaching his flock,

Innocence stolen before nine o’clock.

Towers almost touching the sky, Cruelly felled as we wondered “Why”.

Our people, though shattered by the vast devastation,

were strengthened by Rudy’s determination.

Seeing the President, bullhorn in hand

Inspired Americans to take a stand.

Old Glory waving proudly from cars East to West,

As our generation would be put to the test.

September Eleventh Two Thousand and One,
An ordinary day when it was begun,

But changed in an instant by that act of war,

When we were reminded, freedom’s worth fighting for.

My Deepest and Greatest Joy

by Benjamin Thomas Brehl, 2023

For most of this long and perilous trip,
Grandest feeling came following a lost grip.

The calm and balm felt after a frightful storm,
Cool breezes of tranquil aftermath, yet warm.

The fear, dread while in the mental tempest  –
Thought of Ultimate quit, peeks into the abyss.

In its stead, the journey has evolved into a Joy;
Vanquishing terrors fallen to a rejoicing ploy.

Paralyzing moments – doom, gloom gone, rid,
Welcomed jubilation, newfound rest to bid.

The Great Orchestrator has placed a grin
On this spirit  –  heartened, ready for new begin.

April 2023

Anonymous, 2023

I don’t mean anything to these people
These places
These things
I’ve always been a void filler
A moment passed
A time in their life
But never a solitary figure.
They look at me as disposable
Replaceable.
Compostable.
I try to plant roots
And they get mold
I try to plant roots
And they get cut
I just want stability
But no one seems to want me to stay
So I’ll go again
And again
And again
The hole inside getting bigger, larger, angrier.
I guess I’ll go.. you don’t need me
I guess I’ll go… you all don’t need me
I guess
I’ll
Go
I’m
Not
Needed.

Night-Day-Night

by Adam D. Fisher, 2023

Morning light peeks

through strands

of gray clouds

left over from 

black night. As the day 

goes on, bright light 

brings out the vibrant colors

of yellow tulips until

the earth turns

leaving our world in half-light

until the sun seems to

descend into the western sea

leaving us in dark night.

My Child

by Irene Cantor, 2023

Oh, to be a child again.

The ebb and flow of the days, of the months… alas of the years.

Soon it will be your turn, my precious one, to take on the burdens and the joys.

But for now, your life is soft and cuddly and protected.

Oh my child, my dear child.

If you could only remember these times,

Not only for the happenings, but also for the feelings,

And deliver them to your own dear little ones.

Then the days and the months and the years will flow anew,

Oh, to be a child again.

Red And Other Colors

by Adam D. Fisher, 2023

A haiku and two tankas:

1.

Red maple next to

shimmering water flames in 

early October. 

2.

Red cardinals, black

and white chickadees, brown and 

tan sparrows, yellow 

gold finches, house finches’ red 

heads, eat seeds at my feeder.

3.

Red kidney, black, white 

cannelli, tan garbanzos:

beans soak in a pot

like multi-colored pebbles 

in the water at the beach. 

The Graceful Elephant

by Jennifer Reedy, 2022

I am old
I am not skinny
My thighs are too thick for my calves
My belly hangs over my pants
I don’t care
I put on my pink canvas shoes anyway
I am learning ballet
I plie’ and bend
Yet struggle to rise and releve’
There’s fondue, to melt, like cheese & chocolate
Tondue, to stretch
Saute’ to jump
Music plays and my sore body creeks and pops
Balance
Hold
Breathe
Move
Lift
It’s exhilarating!
I strive to be as graceful as an elephant.